I would love some help with this Germany/Austria itinerary please for April/May 2005!! We are travelling from Australia and have never been to the South of Germany. We have been to Salzburg though and loved it.

We will be travelling with 10 month old daughter so need to take it fairly slow. Thinking of hiring a car in Germany. We have around 18 days. Ultimately we want to see breathtaking scenery, alps, castles, gorgeous villages and maybe 1 or 2 cities. Also want to see Dachau.

So far I have come up with this:

Fly into Frankfurt Airport (pick up hire car)
Travel to Rhine (stay 3 nights)
Then onto Rothenberg (stay 3 nights)
Then Munich (stay 4 nights)
Then Berchtesgaden (stay 4 nights)
Then Wachau Valley, Maybe Melk (Stay 4 nights)
Then Vienna (fly out)

Could we possibly cut out one of these stops and combine with the place before or after it, then just daytrip from there?

We wouldn't want to travel more than an hour or so away on day trips with our baby in tow.

Do we need to pre-book all our accommodation from Australia before we leave? Mid-range must be good location clean and quiet.

Your help would be so much appreciated!

My recent Trip Report may offer you some guidance...

http://www.fodors.com/forums_reg/pgM...p;tid=34527760

I don't know why you want to stay in Berchtesgaden?? any particular reason?
but since you are travelling with a small child, the following places may be of help... they are hotels specilised in taking care of children and babies. we stayed when ours were younger in such a hotel in austria and absolutely loved it. they had a babyphone installed in the room, so we could have dinner at ease while someone at the reception listened if she didn't wake up, there were botlle warmers,... in the rooms, there was a baby playroom and a children play room, high chairs and baby beds,... there were babysitters available during the day for parents wanting to do some activities on their own as well. it may be an option to stay in su
If you have been to salzburg, you may stay in our near Bad Ischl, visit the lakes, Skt Wolfgang, Hallstatt, Traunstein, small villages and little towns with nice scenery.... you can take a train ride from Ischl to Hallstatt f.ex. at your ease around the lakes !
It is not necessary to book accomodation; there are plenty of b&b's in austria, and small friendly family run hotels, as well as larger ones. The only period it may be busier is from 5-16 May (5th being ascension day and 15 Whit Sunday - a lot of schools are closed that period in Europe - especcially in Germany), but we ourselves
the following are the children hotels i mentioned earlier on...
www.kinderhotels.com
www.kinderhotel.com

good luck !

You might want to consider including Fussen and Neu Schwanstein in your trip for a night or two. Then to the Garmish, Oberammergau area to see Mittenwald (the violin makers village), Weiss Kirche, Linderhoff and then on to Bertschesgaden and to Herren Chiemsee another of Ludwig's castles, or perhaps back to Salzberg (15 miles away). You will be in Munich long enough to take the tram out to see Dachau one of the days there. While you are in the Rhine area be sure to slip over to the Mosel river to see Berg Elz (a working still lived in castle).

Hi Lotje,
Thanks for the tip on the baby-friendly hotels in Austria - will definitely look that up.

The reason for Berchtesgaden was I thought it was central for daytripping to Konigsee, the Salt Mines, Salzburg..

A lot of threads I was reading though on Fodors suggested Berchtesgaden as an ideal base instead of Salzburg. Is it not that nice? Is there another town that would be better?

Hi AisleSeat,
What should I take out of the itinerary and replace with Fussen & Garmish?
Are they suitable for accessing by car and central for day-tripping?

Trim Munich to three nights and put that Fussen to Garmish loop in the place of or including the time in Bertschtesgaden. They are all within easy driving distance of one another. I think from Fussen on the West to Salzberg on the East is about 125 miles as a crow flies. On the highways it is easily done in hour or two drives.

As far as accessable. Every tour bus in Europe is headed for Fussen so they have to have great roads. You can stay in Fussen, across the border in Reutte Austria or our favorite is at Gasthoff von Schluxen in Unter Pinswang about 4 miles from Fussen, a little farmhouse B&B type place just on the Austrian side of the border.

Garmish has a great autobahn from Munich and Weisskirche, Oberammergau and Mittenwald are all easy drives from there. Garmish is paired up with Partenkirchen and we felt that Parterkirchen was quainter than Garmish. Garmish sits at the foot of the Zugspitze, the tallest alp in Germany and there is a cablecar that takes you up right in Garmish.

Three nights in Rothenburg seem quite a lot to me. It's very prettily maintained for the tourist trade, and it is certainly worth visiting and photographing. But it doesn't have a lot of depth to it.

If you have the time in Austria the Saltzkammergut is beautiful and you would probably enoy a night or two In Hallstadt. Besure to reserve a room on the lake side for the views. TTT

Thanks for the suggestions on my previous itinerary - which I have now revised.

This is what I have since come up with - I have put the daytrips in brackets next to each accommodation stop.

1 night Frankfurt
2 nights Rothenburg (Dinkelsbuhl)
3 nights Munich (Dachau, Munich city, Marianplatz)
2 nights Fussen (2 Castles)
2 nights Berchtesgaden (Konigsee / Eagles Nest, Salzburg)
2 nights Hallstatt
3 nights Melk / Wachau Valley (Mauthausen, Boat trip between Melk & Krems, Melk Abbey)
3 nights Vienna (Schonbrunn, Vienna City)

Remembering we have a 10 month old with us - can anyone comment on or suggest improvements to this itinerary?

We are travelling in May.

What about a daytrip or overnighter from Vienna to Budapest? Would this be worth the time and effort?

We fly out of Vienna so need to end up there.